Archives for March 2011

I once saw a bodybuilder at the gym downing handfuls of raw oats in between gulps of a protein shake. Granted, he is a bodybuilder and needs mega recovery compared to me, but I was still startled at the sight. “Getting your carbs?” I asked. “You don’t mix it with water? Just oats?” “That and protein,” he confirmed. It looked pretty dry and chokey, but this guy knew how to get his body some quick carbs and protein after lifting {Read More…}

I wanted to share my own interpretation of clean eating because I’ve been successful at maintaining a constant, ideal weight for quite a few years. I’ve also enjoyed tremendous health benefits: I feel more energetic and stronger now than I did in my twenties (25 years ago!). While consistent exercise plays a big part in my energy levels, I attribute much of my youthful body and mind to clean eating. Cleaning Eating: My Interpretation I find that taking a relaxed approach to clean {Read More…}

My 3/21 post is at at YumYucky.com. Find out why and how you should get started with strength training! It’s reassuring to know that with so many variables in life, there will always be some things that remain constant. Sunshine in March feels good. Lying on a sore back hurts. And taking pictures of yourself in a bikini makes you obsess about your body. About this time of year, many of us women start to realize that we’ll soon be {Read More…}

Warm weather’s approaching – ready for overexposure? It’s time to get real about your arms. I’ve backed off on my biceps on and off the past few months due to an achy elbow. Not only that, but biceps are my least favorite muscle group to train – so there’s been a little slacking off too. But now that I’m feeling better, there are no more excuses. I want them to be bigger (of course). I decided that I needed to make {Read More…}

Everyone seems to love working their shoulders – they respond well to weight training and look ever so nice when developed. Even if your shoulders are already your best feature, you need to keep challenging them to the max. I recently decided I need to amp it up, so I created a new routine that I’m going to use for the next four weeks. I’ll increase the weight as I go and consequently do lower repetitions. When I’m able to {Read More…}

With all the advice about weight training out there, you might be a little confused. Which exercises should you do? Should you only do low reps/high weight? Is mixing it up okay or unnecessary? I like to think that the many ways of weight training are part of what makes it fun. And despite what you might hear, there is no one right way to weight train. Using basic variables, you can blend several approaches or use one method exclusively. Which {Read More…}